Control mechanism for automatic safety mine-car cagers.



Y J. AFNOLAN. CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC SAFETY MINE CAR CAGERS.

APPLICATXON FILED SEPT.30, I916.

WITNESS mvzrnoui fa-77766 /7 4 0mm JAMES NQLAN, F BOWERSTON, QHIO.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC SAFETY MINE-CAR GAGERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 191%.

Application filed September 30, 1916. Serial No. 123,147.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JA MES A. NOLAN, a Clt1- zen of the United States,residing at Bowerston in the county of Harrison and Stateof Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Control Mechanism for AutomaticSafety Mine-Car Cagers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety devices employed in connection withsubterranean chambers such as mine shafts and the like and one oftheobjects of the invention is to provide means whereby certainoperating mechanism which controls the movement of the cars along a minelevel may be rendered operative or inoperative according to whether ornot the mine cage is to pass or stop at a particular level.

As arule mines are provided'with different levels leading into avertical shaft in which is a lift or cage. The cage is adapted to bestopped by outwardly swinging sills or beams which are carried by thewall of the shaft. These beams are usually termed fans or landers thelatter term being preferable, because they constitute the landings forthe cage whereby the cage will be supported at any particular level bypermitting the landers to swing outwardly to form supports or stops forthe cage.

When it is desired to permit the cage to pass the level or levels thelanders are retracted so as not to interfere with the vertical movementthereof. The feeding of the cars from the level onto the cage (which isknown as caging the cars) is now usually accomplished by an automaticcontrol mechanism such as is described in my application Number 106,451,filed June 28th, 1916.

I have provided means whereby there may be cooperative movement betweenthe lander and the car feeding mechanism so that when the lander isswung up into inoperative position the part of the feeding mechanismwhich will ordinarily contact with the cage will be moved out ofoperative position and when the landers are swung outward the cagecontacting part of the car feeding mechanism will be moved intooperative position.

In the drawings Figure 1, is a detail perspective view of one end of anoperating shaft and a lander.

Fig. 2, is an enlarged end view of an operating shaft "and, r

Fig. 3, is a detail perspective view of the operating crank.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference I have used thesame designating numerals as I used in the above mentioned applicationso that the structure will be better understood.

The rails 1 and 2 are shown as resting upon a sill 3, and this sill isprovided with a cut-out portion 4 to receive the bearing for the shaft23. On one end of the shaft 23 is a bifurcated sleeve 4, secured theretoby a bolt 01' other suitable fastening device 6. In the bifurcatedsleeve is a laterally swinging crank or arm 7, 011 one end of which is alaterally projecting crank member 8, having an upstanding terminal lip9. Underneath the crank member 8, is a bearing 10, receiving a looselyswinging depending arm 11 which is at all times within the loop 12 onthe horizontal. portion 13 carried by the lander 14. It will be observedthat when the lander is in a vertical position the end of the crankmember 8, is retracted inwardly beyond the bifurcated end of the shaft23 and as this point is within the outer wall of the lander the cage maypass up and down without'coming in contact with the operating mechanism,therefore the liability of the shaft 23 being operated so as to trip acar or release it through accident will be avoided.

When the lander is swung out to constitute a landing so that the cagewill rest thereon the loop 12 will carry the swinging arm 11 outward,and as a result the crank member 8 will he moved out to operatingposition so that when the cage reaches the proper point of contact thepart thereon may strike against the member 8, and thereby impart arotative movement to the shaft 23 to operate thev releasing and trippingmechanism for the cars.

In Figs. 3, I have shown a lip 9 on the member 8; this is to prevent themember 8 from slipping ofi? the contacting element of the cage when thearm 7 is in operative position. When the lander 14 is moved back intovertical position the arm 7 will again be retracted into an inoperativeposition and the cage may move past that particular level withoutaffecting any of the operating mechanism. Of course it is to beunderstood that the shaft 23 is provided with a counterbalance of thenature shown in my companion application so that when the cage moves offthe member 8 the shaft 23 will be returned to its original position.

.The advantage in loosely mounting the arm 11 is that itwill assume avertical position irrespective of the position of the arm 7, thereforeit will at all times be in proper position for contact with the loop 12.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, a rock shaft of acar operating mechanism, a bifurcated end on said shaft, a laterallyswinging arm carried by the bifurcated end, a lander, and connectionsbetween the lander and the arm.

2. In a device of the class described, a rock shaft of a car operatingmechanism, a laterally swinging arm carried by said shaft, a transversepin on said arm, a lip on the free end of said pin, landers, and aconnection between the lander and the arm.

3. In a device of the class described, a rock shaft of a car operatingmechanism, a laterally swinging arm on the end of the rock shaft havinga right angular projection or pin, a lip on said pin, a freely swingingYertically disposed arm carried by the pin, a lander and a loop carriedby the lander and receiving the freely swinging arm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES A. NOLAN.

Eagles of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

